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​The Mission of the Zion Nature Center in Zionsville, Indiana (part of the Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department) is to encourage families to take an active role in their native environment through our exhibits, programs, and I’ll be honest, as the only environmental educator on staff…a lot of brainstorming on my part. We welcomed Nature Play Days in 2016 as another avenue to get our community and families outside and active within our Zionsville Parks. The first year the Nature Center staff offered a couple of drop-in exploration programs in between our busy summer camp schedule. I was disappointed that only a few families attended. Obviously we were missing something that inspired and excited children and families.

While our summer camps have long waiting lists, and every week 20 or more children were exploring, discovering, getting dirty, wet and thoroughly exhausted in our parks, very few people came out for our first ever play days. That winter I went back to the drawing board and decided that for the idea to be a success in Zionsville, I needed to get others involved. Not only to increase our marketing to families, but to offer more programs, something not easy to do with an extremely small staff. In 2017, I began reaching out to organizations that 1. I had worked with in the past on programs and projects. 2. Already did programming in nature, art or recreation. I provided them some information on the benefits of nature play, on the Indiana Children and Nature Network and what Nature Play Days were. Then my request was simple. If you are planning on doing programs over the summer, can you please do one during Nature Play Days week? Can you offer the program free of charge? And can the program occur outside, and in one of our parks if possible?

Most of the organizations said “yes”! SullivanMunce, Maplelawn Farmstead, the Zionsville Police Department, and our Street and Stormwater Department. The Hussey Mayfield Public Library liked the idea so much that their children’s department said “YES” twice. And with those organizations on board, Zionsville Nature Play Days were started. The Zion Nature Center filled in the gaps so that at least 1 program was offered each day of Play Days. 13 events in total that included a Creekstomp in Eagle Creek, an opportunity to design your own solar oven, and a teddy bear picnic in the park. Our Mayor caught wind of the collaboration and loved the idea so much he proclaimed June 10 – 18, 2017 as Zionsville Nature Play Days. We had over 380 participants the first year of Zionsville Nature Play Days.

So what does that mean for 2018? My hope is that all of our collaborators return, and bring a couple of their friends. My goal is to offer 2 events each day of Nature Play Days and to develop a way to track what programs participants are going to. But most importantly, that our families and community celebrate time outside and discover their backyard.

Mindy Murdock

Mindy is the park naturalist and nature center manager for Zion Nature Center. Mindy also serves on the steering committe for ICAN.

For those of us living in Delaware County, 2016’s Nature Play Days started in the dead of winter as the result of a forwarded email chain between a couple of childcare providers. By the end of the actual event, we were able to claim 14 partner organizations, 40 opportunities for nature play in the community, and over 600 participants.

While we don’t claim to have it all down pat, we thought it might be helpful to share some of our tips that helped us succeed. Here’s to hoping for even more Nature Play Days success in 2017!

1. Partner Outside Your Comfort ZoneSuccess with Nature Play Days doesn’t just boil down to convening a bunch of folks who already “get” nature play. If you want to reach a broad audience, you have to include a broader swath of the community in your planning committee, too.

Go the extra mile! Share the planning committee table with representatives from local houses of worship, child care facilities, even public health clinics. Connect with them, find common ground, and be creative about programming. By taking the extra time to build a strong and diverse coalition from the outset, you’ll be likely to draw from audiences you’d never see otherwise.

In Delaware County, one of our sweetest surprises was the success of a Nature Play Days program at a local library which drew almost 40 children for a “Nature Walk Storytime” program. It never would have happened if we didn’t have a librarian on our planning committee!

2. The Buck Must Stop With SomeoneIt’s exhilarating to pull together a diverse group of community planners, but unless you have one designated person to do the nitty-gritty work—email reminders about upcoming meetings, organize and post your community’s events to social media, organize an events database—even the best-laid plans are likely to fall through.

Does that mean that the other people on your Nature Play Days committee get to shirk their responsibilities? Nope! What it does mean is that the more organized and accountable your planning group is from the outset, the more likely it is that Nature Play Days will be a smashing success.

Are all your committee members strapped for extra time? Seek out interns from the local college, volunteers from the PTA, or a retired volunteer looking to make a difference.

3. Think Assets, Not DeficitsRather than lamenting what’s lacking within your community, discover and highlight your community’s assets. That is, find existing places, people, or programs that are strong, unique, and popular in your community and then build Nature Play Days programs around them. For example, instead of grumbling that all the selfie-obsessed tweens in your neighborhood never take advantage of the pristine local trails, set up a selfie station by an Instagram-able fountain at your local park and advertise accordingly.

Here’s a secret: many of our partners in Delaware County didn’t create brand-new events for Nature Play Days. They looked at their existing programs, figured out what people loved the most, and then planned to host those programs during Nature Play Days week. They catered to what the community already loved to do outside.

4. Promote, promote, promote!Let’s face it: marketing costs money. And while Delaware County’s Nature Play Days was lucky enough to have some designated funds for marketing (thanks to the lead Nature Play Days sponsor, BY5) not every community is so lucky.

Still, getting the word out is key, and it is possible to find creative ways to advertise. Again, diverse partnerships are invaluable as they allow word-of-mouth advertising to flourish in areas that would otherwise never hear about Nature Play Days. Talk to your local public radio and television stations, and see if either would be willing to run PSAs for low or no cost. Write a press release and send it to the local paper. Work with your local school district and find a way to get Nature Play Days flyers into the hands of students before school gets out for the year.

And don’t forget about technology. In Muncie, one cost-effective way we were able to advertise was to list our community’s Nature Play Day activities on multiple online platforms. Not only did we post our events on ICAN’s designated website, we also created individual entries for each event on BY5’s Facebook page. We coordinated efforts with all of our partners to make sure they were sharing and commenting on “their” organization’s individual events, which helped spread the word.

Side note: don’t forget about folks in your community who speak a language other than English! Whether your neighbors speak Spanish or Sanskrit, make sure that a portion of your marketing materials are printed in all your community’s major languages. Better yet, invite native speakers to be part of your planning committee and get their input from the outset (see #1.)

Author: Marissa Rose

Marissa Rose works as a Strategic Initiatives Coordinator for Muncie and Delaware County BY5 in Muncie, Indiana. When she’s not working, she’s either writing, organizing for her local neighborhood association, advocating for adult literacy via her self-founded initiative, The Community Reading Project, or wrangling her two small kids. On the craziest days, it’s all five activities at once!

Everyone Needs Nature! Every fresh-smelling blade of grass, every newly pollinated vibrant flower, every sun-kissed landscape pulls at our hearts, minds and bodies. But in our everyday hustle and bustle, with convenient technology ruling at every turn, how do we get families back outside?

ICAN and the Indianapolis Zoo may have the answer. The two are teaming up to offer a free Family Nature Club Training on March 11 for educators from a variety of organizations including schools, nature centers, parks, churches and other cultural institutions. The workshop is supported by a grant from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and Disney’s Conservation Fund.

Today’s children may list gaming systems, Snapchat, and other indoor activities. Few kids spend time outdoors these days and the consequences are profound and far reaching. Outdoor child’s play connects children to nature while building strong minds and bodies. Outdoor play allows experimenting and experiencing the natural world – building a life-long foundation for learning and a love of nature. Children that play outdoors are happier, healthier and smarter!

Busy families and children often spend very little time outdoors due to schedules, lack of access to nature, and even anxiety from adults and children about what to do outside. Health problems such as obesity and attention issues, even near-sightedness are on the rise. Time spent outdoors have been found to alleviate these!

So let’s get kids outside to explore and experience nature!

To encourage kids and families to get outdoors, the Indiana Children and Nature Network (ICAN) is introducing Nature Play Days in 2016! ICAN is inviting organizations across the state to hold a Nature Play Day event anytime between June 11 and 19 in their community.

Hosting a Nature Play Day is as easy as picking a date, time and location and then letting your community know about it! The Play Day can be as structured or freeform as you like. Design a new event or schedule an annual program during June 11-19. Hold it in a wooded area or next to a creek. Encourage exploration and child-led activities. Have a scavenger hunt, a mud painting station, play leap frog in the shady grass, gather sticks to make a fort, creek stomp and look for crawdads.

Whether you have a diverse landscape for outdoor activities or a parking lot, there are activities you can share to get kids outdoors! ICAN is here to provide support materials, publicize your event, and share in the fun!

Nature Play Days information is available on the ICAN website, along with a place to register your event. Share your event on social media using the hashtag #ICANNaturePlayDays so others can check out the fun. Encourage churches, hospitals, YMCAs, community groups, and others in your area to partner with you or host their own Nature Play Day! The more the merrier! Activities and games or unstructured nature play are a great way to connect as a family, team, congregation, or class and reap the physical, mental , and emotional benefits of time spent outdoors.

Look on the website for an invitation that you can share with other community organizations. There is also a poster and other materials to download. Look for support resources and training opportunities.

A story was recently shared with us on our Facebook page regarding an Indiana family's experience of getting a ticket for letting their kids play in the creek at a local nature preserve. You can view that blog post here on the great blog Rain or Shine Mamma. We're lucky to have Warren Gartner, Conservation Education Supervisor for the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife, as one of ICAN's Steering Committee members. He was able to share some thoughts on this subject especially noting the need for communication between land managers and the public. Please read his comments below!

From Warren:Conflicts over nature play in protected areas may become more of an area of conflict in the future. I’ve had natural resource property managers question encouraging the public to “play in the woods” because of the impact that can have on sensitive natural areas. As natural resource managers, we need to do a better job of communicating the differences in rules between different types of properties and why those rules exist. We also need to identify less sensitive areas where children can play freely. However, it boils down to doing your homework, knowing the rules of the property you are visiting and being a good example to your children. Even, as in this case, if the area had been open to free play types of activities in the past, conditions change. Nature Preserve properties are set aside because they contain some unique or rare feature that is to be “preserved” and protected. For example, there could potentially be an endangered mussel that was discovered in the stream that could be harmed by stirring up the bottom sediments. Also, water conditions change. Unfortunately, before you jump into a creek in Indiana, it is always a good idea to check IDEM’s list of impaired streams. You can’t tell what is in the water by just looking.The Department of Natural Resources has a wide variety of Divisions who manage land for different reasons. Nature Preserves are the most heavily protected because of their rare features and are not a good choice for nature play. However, state forests will allow you to go off trail, collect nuts, berries, mushrooms, and even, with a permit, collect firewood and would be a much better choice for “wandering Indiana”. I don’t believe you can pick wildflowers on any state property. State Parks, Reservoirs and Fish & Wildlife properties all have their own sets of rules. These rules for state properties are spelled out in state law in the Indiana Code 312 IAC 8-2-10.Richard Louv recently posted an article on his Facebook site on these types of legal issues and parents trying to allow more nature time for their kids. As we try and walk the line of preserving fragile natural areas and at the same time encouraging people to get out and enjoy nature, it points out the need for more greenspace and nearby nature which are not just the few remaining rare and endangered spots, but “common” natural spaces where kids can play and get to know the natural world. – Warren (wgartner@dnr.in.gov)

Note: Warren has passed this on to the Divisions of Nature Preserves and Law Enforcement so they are aware of the issues.

So much is happening with the Indiana Children and Nature Network (ICAN)! So far in 2015 we have a new logo, website, posters, and print materials and we have added several new volunteers to our core "steering committee." There are exciting plans for partnerships, events, trainings, and growth in the works and we hope this blog will be a platform where we can share new resources and information as well as highlight great programs, activities, and stories. We will also share experiences, inspiration, and suggestions from like minded people who believe that getting kids outdoors matters!